Raven Crowking's Nest

Sunday, 18 March 2018

Gary Con ran from March 8th to 11th 2018. This post is a little bit later than that because I was visiting family in Wisconsin until Friday the 16th. My son and I drove down from Toronto, and then drove back, arriving in Toronto on the 17th.

I ran seven games at the convention, six on the books and one off. I was also afforded the opportunity to play in Allan Grohe’s Castle Greyhawk game on Thursday night. That was the first time, ever, that I sat on the same side of the screen as my son. Because I ordered my playing times a little better this year, I managed to spend more time socializing and less time running between games or playing at odd (or late) hours. I was able to make it to the Cultural Exchange, but failed to get in any Dog Storm or Flammable Hospital.

Swag-wise, this was a pretty good convention. In addition to the freebies available on registration (which included lite versions of Swords & Wizardry and Bunnies & Burrows), The Tower of Faces came out, as well as the newest printing of Intrigue at the Court of Chaos. I was able to acquire copies of Crawl-thulhu #1, Inferno Road, and Country Crawl Classics, as well as the second Doug Kovacs sketchbook (The Drain Chamber 2017). Marc Plourde handed out a “The Alphabet of Outer Beings presents…” containing C is for Corruption and D is for Disapproval, printed on white cardstock. I handed out a few “Raven Crowking Presents Gary Con X Special”s. I also picked up both issues of the Hobbs & Friends of the OSR zine. Almost all of this will appear, or be updated, on the DCC Trove of Treasures, because most of it is for DCC.

We pulled into the Timber Ridge Lodge at about 10 am on Thursday, and were very graciously allowed to check in early. This is one of the overflow areas for the Grand Geneva, and is part of the same resort complex. A trolley takes guests from one area to another, so when parking is strained (as it was on Saturday) the trolley is a better way to go.

Apparently, the DCC crowd had a party on Wednesday night to open the Con, which I did not attend. Next year, however, we plan to arrive on Wednesday…both for socializing and for starting earlier on Thursday.

I ran this on Thursday, when the convention was still a little slower and my voice wasn’t yet wrecked! The group did very well, although if the charmed victim carrying the Sword of Truth didn’t draw it to attack his friends (as PCs often try less drastic effects against other PCs first), the adventure probably would have ended in a TPK. Even so, the group was visibly shaken by facing the Rose Dragon, with its multiple Action Dice and effective attacks. Playing with the Mirror of Truth was a lot of fun, too. This is the only time I have run this adventure that Doctor Chapman did not make an appearance. It was also the first time that any group has ever freed the demon in the Mirror of Truth.

A warm Thank You to the players: Chris Zank, Brenda Wolfe, Dave, and Richard Mundy. Jim Skach was also scheduled to play, but managed to get into a game he was on the waiting list for instead.

This was the first of three games that I ran on Saturday. Despite some glitches (on my part), I think it went pretty well. The changes to magic in the adventure setting seldom came up, but at least they did so enough to be noticed.

For the games I was running, except funnels and The Thing in the Chimney (which is 1st level), I printed a group of magic items that characters might have. These were printed on card stock, and included items from last year’s Raven Crowking Presents Gary Con Special, as well as items from published adventures and this blog. They were printed on card stock, cut apart, and (depending upon the level of the game) each player got a number of sight-unseen picks. They could then trade amongst themselves if they so desired.

The halfling in the group obtained the Ring of the Sand Djinn, and once the gems from the Falcate Idol were recovered, destroyed it to teleport home. Of course, the players agreed that they would sell the gems, and I did a brief narrative epilogue about the Falcate Idol returning to plague them in the future.

We used the Fleeting Luck mechanic from DCC Lankhmar in this game, as it seemed appropriate to me.

Many thanks to the players for making it a fun game: John Jesse, Mike Glim, Paul Doran, Lucy Duff, and Stuart Goheen.

(I had been dutifully collecting tickets, and continued to do so, but it was during this game that I first noticed that no one was collecting them. Last year, volunteers collected them during games. This year, you had to turn them in to the registration booth yourself. Because no one had mentioned this when I checked in, all of my tickets were turned in at the same time, after my game on Sunday.)

(Speaking of tickets, the Black Blade/Goodman Games booth supplied me with tickets to give my players for a draw on Sunday. They have done this both years I’ve been at Gary Con, and it is a pretty classy move. The prizes they gave away were not insubstantial!)

Silent Nightfall

This was my second game on Saturday. As no one chose an elf PC, I didn’t run with the “Return the Whispering Stone to the King of Elfland” goal included in the game blurb. Instead, I sent the PCs to investigate the source of weird mutations and attacks on nearby villages. This group did not include a cleric, which they certainly felt.

This was another game for firsts – one of the PCs listened to the enticements of Silent Nightfall and triggered a TPK that was felt in a 20 mile radius. Good times.

This was also the first game where I realized that I should be taking pictures.

Many thanks to the players who made it worthwhile: Jeff Scifert, Marc Plourde, Shyloh Wideman, Jon Hammersley, and Clayton Williams.

My last game on Friday was a vampire funnel based off a map by Shyloh Wideman, who actually played in the game. The players ran their characters intelligently for the most part (although having multiple characters means that someone will eventually try something they know is unwise), so that the death toll was actually fairly low. Yes, my dice betrayed me time and time again. Yes, I rolled a disproportionate number of “1”s. But, even with those things taken into account, the survival of so many zeros to 1st level was a testament to player skill, not poor rolling on the part of the judge.

Thank You to all of the players who did so well: Shyloh Wideman, Jeff Bernstein, Marc Plourde, Dwayne Boothe, and Clayton Williams.

Apotheosis in Green and Gold

My one off the books game was a playtest for an 8th level “epic endgame”, wherein the PCs have the potential to become gods. Because this is still in development, I am not going to say too much. Hobbs the porter was slain, and replaced with an Oltomec porter who the party renamed Hobbs (not even bothering to learn his actual name). Giants are pretty tough, even against high level PCs. The giant critical table, and crit range, made for some memorable play. A thief with a good Luck score is a living terror when he backstabs.

Thank you to Paul Wolfe, Brenda Wolfe, Mike Bishop, Mars, and Julian Bernick for playing. Only Julian failed to become a god. Perhaps his erstwhile companions will rename his character Hobbs?

(The room we are playing in is our room/suite at the Timber Ridge Lodge. It doesn't offer instant access when rolling in from the Cultural Exchange at 2 am, but it is comfortable and offers enough room to game in!)

My on-the-books Saturday game was a lot of fun, and had the unusual property of being a funnel adventure ending with each player having a single character. There are a lot of “fairy tale logic” pieces to the adventure, which went over well at the table. There are some good encounters for role-playing, which also went over well at the table. Players made choices I didn’t expect, which is always fun, and actually tied their survivors into the social fabric of the NPCs they encountered. This was probably the most successful game I ran this convention.

On Sunday, I ran the original DCC holiday adventure. The players were engaged with the material, which made it a lot of fun.

Highlights: The Naughty/Nice list had all the Lawful PCs as Naughty and the Chaotic PC as Nice. One player was running late, so his PC showed up inside a gift-wrapped box. A PC ate the fruitcake. The players instantly realized that knocking a top hat off a snowman would have an effect. A high roll on a sleep spell put a snowman into an enchanted slumber (it became a normal snowman during this time). The PCs moved it to the hot part of the main hall to melt.

The final battle with the Cinder Claws was a bit anticlimactic, but fun nonetheless. A successful sleep spell, with the wizard spellburning down to a bare nub, put both the Cinder Claws and the party to sleep. The wizard’s unfortunately worded awakening condition saw the party and the Cinder Claws all awakened at once. Before combat could ensue, another sleep spell put the Cinder Claws (and only the Cinder Claws) into an enchanted slumber. The PCs then cut off his head!

Because the Cinder Claws is a patron-level entity, this need not be the end for him, but it is certainly the end for this adventure. The PCs are in the Great Hall (which now loops back only to itself). It is getting colder, and the Cinder Claws has not whisked up the chimney, so no portal is opened for the PCs to escape.

The cleric petitions his god, who he has just blasphemed against to satisfy the fruitcake. He offers his own life as a sacrifice to transport the party anywhere. And he rolls high enough that I give it to him. Moreover, I offer a Luck check that the god spares his servant rather than leaving him behind to freeze to death. The cleric has burned his Luck down to 1. “Well, you can try to roll a natural 1” I say….and the cleric’s player does it!

Overall, the convention was a real success. In addition to the gaming, I got a chance to meet some people in person for the first time, renew old acquaintance with those I had a chance to meet last year, and receive a "free beer" that turned out to be a growler!

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

I have produced a Birthday Mathom every year, starting in 2013. I've been thinking about my birthday in 2018, which will mark the 6th year of Mathom-giving. Each year, I've put together a pdf of odds and ends that I thought people might use, including a full patron, adventures, monsters converted from other games or Appendix N sources, and so on.The requirements for receiving the Mathom have never been that onerous, but response has been rather lackluster in the past few years. Perhaps I haven't given enough time to respond? Perhaps asking for even a short review, of any DCC product, is too much? Perhaps 10-15 pages it too small to make it worthwhile?Okay, then. This year is the 53-page Mathom.Did I say 53 pages? Yes, I did. Or, at least, that is my target, and I mean to reach it.What do you need to do to get it? Follow these three steps:(1) REVIEW a DCC product. Any product. The review must be at least 53 words long, and must be posted to a blog, on rpg now, on G+, or wherever you like that you can supply a link to, between now and August 4th, 2018. EDIT: Yes! MCC counts!(2) COMMENT on this post, including a LINK to your review.(3) EMAIL me at ravencrowking at hotmail dot com with the address you want the Mathom sent to.Here's the kicker: If only ONE person responds, I will still do 53 pages. However, if fewer than 53 people respond, then I am retiring the Birthday Mathom to the dustbin of history. At least I will have gone out with a bang.(And you can probably guess how old I will be this year by now.)RELATED: If you are going to Gary Con, I will have a Raven Crowking Presents Gary Con 2018 Special which I will be giving out while supplies last. All you have to do is find me while I still have some left!

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

So, for full disclosure, the readers should know that J. is my brother.

Without further ado.....

How did you get into gaming? And what are you doing now?

There was that time when kids were playing cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, and those sorts of games. And there were those of us that wanted to be adventurers, so that what's what we did. Inspired by Lord of the Rings and similar fantasy works, we made up our own stories and acted them out. Then along comes TSR and publishes a system for fantasy adventure, and it would be an understatement to say that I was pretty drawn to it. Queue years of playing, writing adventures, gaming groups, and late-night game sessions. Yeah, I really got into it. It started with Dungeons and Dragons and went from there. So many game systems, but I wanted to play them all.

In more recent years I hadn't been gaming so much; life gets in the way, you move around, work long hours, lose track of gaming groups, whatever. But I'm back to working on adventures. I have a son that's an avid gamer, and they're waiting for me to run some Call of Cthulhu, DCC, and now MCC.

You supported the Mutant Crawl Classics Kickstarter. What do you think of the system?

Well, as much as I was into D&D, when TSR released Gamma World it really pulled me in. I'm a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic setting, so when Goodman Games announced the Kickstart for Mutant Crawl Classics I was pretty excited. It hearkens back to when I first got into gaming and cracked open that box. Like DCC, MCC isn't rules-heavy. The PDF is pretty big, but it doesn't spend pages on complicated combat systems or detailing characters to the nth degree. It leaves room for the players and especially the gamemaster to flesh things out. It keeps it simple and fun. There are world details included, which I may or may not use. Personally I tend to like to create my own world setting, but I can see where GMs would prefer to create the adventure within the world and not a whole world itself. Goodman Games is pretty good about leaving the game more open to it's users.

Can you tell us a little about Vault 0?

Years ago when I went to my first science fiction convention, costuming was pretty normal though nothing like it is today. My first costume, in keeping my love of post-apocalyptic worlds, was based off of Road Warrior in the Mad Max movie series. Taking parts off an old car, I made myself a "road trash" costume. Nothing that would win awards, but I enjoyed it and it got a few compliments. And so my venture into costuming began.

Then one day I found myself suddenly laid off, and seemingly unable to get work in my field. Sometime earlier I had made a Vault Dweller suit based on the video game Fallout. My first recreation I found to be a disappointment since I tried using a premade boiler suit coverall for the base, which failed to look quite right. A stickler for details, I looked to the in-game stitch pattern and made my own template and sewn a new suit from base fabric. And I found some new ways to add the little details like stripes and numbers. And it occurred to me there are probably other people out there that felt the same way - wanted something that matched the game better. So I set up shop.

I've sold a fair number of those suits along with some other standard recreations from games and television, as well as a few custom things for people. I do a lot of shows now, and I carry a lot of cosplay accessories - props, wigs, make-up, etc. Online sales are great, but the shows are what keep me going. Meeting the people and attending the conventions - that's the fun bit.

You also do some work with gaming and science fiction conventions. What's that like?

It's a labor of love. I enjoy the convention scene a lot, and it's surprising what goes in to putting on a show. Sometimes it seems like your show is only as good as the worse thing you do, and people can be pretty quick to jump on you if something goes wrong. And there's a mob of social media always waiting to chime in. But you do it for those who do enjoy the gatherings of similar-minded people, and for a fun time. I mostly work with non-profits, and no one I know is bound to get rich working on these things.

There is something to be said to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and working with conventions is certainly that.

What are you looking forward to in 2018?

A new day, a new year. I have plans to do a lot of conventions this year, and work behind the scenes on a few. With Vault 0 there's a lot of work to do - expand the line, expand the website, and getting ready for the next show. It never stops, and a small business isn't something you can get too complacent with. But every sale brings a smile, and every time a customer says something nice about what I'm doing it reminds why I do it.

Monday, 15 January 2018

Episode 61 of Spellburn included the announcement of the Stephan Poag Dungeon Denizen contest winner from Episode 58. The winner was the excellent The Lumonculus, created by Tim White and Connor Stone. You can find it here!Congratulations Tim and Connor!

My own entry, the Child of Light, is reproduced below, because you can never have too many monsters. I had done a bit of research and discovered that Poag means "Child of Light", which was the basis of the creature.

I would also be very interested to see what other people came up with.Child of Light

The Child of Light is a strange creature that dwells deep beneath the ruins of the ancient citadel of Poag. It is partially organic and partially silicon-based, gaining energy from telluric radiation through crystals in its head and from magical emanations through two branching antennae-feelers that grow from its shoulders. These feelers allow the Child of Light to detect magic (spells or items) within 1,000 feet. It is attracted to all forms of magic, and no magic functions within 30’ of it (including magic cast outside this radius which then would otherwise take effect within it). The Child of Light consumes this magic, which is immediately restored outside of this range.

The creature is blind, but can sense even very small amounts of light with its skin. It uses light generated by its cranial crystals (or other sources), giving it a form of “photonic sonar” that allows the Child to “see” within a range of 100’, beyond which it is completely blind. Its rocky hide grants it a relatively high AC. The Child of Light regenerates 3 hp/round when within range of a source of light or magic that it can detect, and 1 hp/turn when away from such an energy source. The creature itself cannot be killed by any means known to mortals.

The Child of Light’s most powerful attack is a cone of light 60’ long with a 30’ base. Any creature caught within this cone must succeed in a DC 10 Fort save or be partially blinded for 1d5 rounds (-2 penalty to attack rolls) and a DC 15 Will save or suffer one of the following magical effects (roll 1d7): (1) Strength reduced by 1d3 for 1d5 rounds, (2) affected by an enlarge spell with a spell check result of 1d16+6, (3) ultraviolet radiation causes 2d6 damage, (4) Agility reduced by 1d5 for 1d7 rounds, (5) affected by a sleep spell with a spell check result of 1d24+2, (6) obtain a perfect tan, or (7) compulsion to draw causes a -1d penalty on the dice chain to all rolls until the character has spent at least 10 minutes completing a sketch. Note that spell effects do not allow additional saves after the spell check result is rolled, and any misfire or corruption affects the target, not the Child of Light.

Finally, anyone within the ruins of Poag may call upon the Child of Light to fuel spellburn. When a character does so, roll 1d7 and consult the following table:

1d7 Spellburn Result
1 Incandescent light pours from the caster, illuminating everything within line of sight as though it was daylight. Creatures within 30’ of the caster must succeed in a DC 15 Reflex save or be blinded. Blinded creatures must make a DC 10 Fort save or be permanently blinded; those who succeed are blinded for only 1d5 rounds. The caster gains up to 4 points of spellburn at no additional cost.
2 The caster’s skin blisters and bubbles with extreme sunburn. This is expressed as Strength, Agility, or Stamina damage.
3 The Child of Light grants up to 10 points of spellburn without attribute loss, but consumes the magical energy needed to cast the spell. The spell cannot be cast again for a full 24 hours per point of spellburn. Even additional spellburn cannot restore the spell during this time.
4 The Child of Light grants up to 10 points of spellburn without attribute loss, but the caster is blinded for 10 minutes per point of spellburn taken, and has a -1d penalty on the dice chain to all attack rolls (due to double vision) for 24 hours thereafter.
5 The Child of Light consumes the spell energy. Nothing else bad happens, but the spell does not go off, and the caster’s attempt is wasted.
6 The Child of Light consumes magical energy from the caster, expressed as 1d3 points each of Strength, Agility, and Stamina damage. The spell check is not improved.
7 Not only does the Child of Light grant up to 10 points of spellburn for free, but for every point not used, the caster heals 1 Hit Die in damage, up to his maximum hit points, once the spell is cast.

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

This album cover was suggested by Doomsayer. Interestingly enough, when I was deciding on album covers to inspire Dungeon Crawl Classics content, this is one that I had considered, but had put on the back burner as being difficult. I wasn't sure what inspiration I could glean from its ominous artwork. Whether or not I rose to the challenge is something the reader will have to determine.

Before we dive into the cover, a confession. If you listen to the Sanctum Secorum podcast (and if not, you should), you are aware that Bob Brinkman always has interesting musical picks for each work discussed thereon.

I am no Bob Brinkman.

If you listen to the Drink Spin Run podcast (and, again, you should), you will note that, when I was a guest, I had been listening most recently to the soundtrack to Moana. My musical tastes run from classical to Iggy Pop, but there is a lot of 80s pop and even country in there. Most of these albums aren't really on my radar.

I am devising material based on the covers plus a little very basic research. And, yes, I have made use of YouTube to give the albums a listen-through or find related videos.

If you run into me at Gary Con or elsewhere, though, I am not going to be able to discuss these things intelligently. Seriously. You are, gentle reader, are to a person all cooler than I am.

Without further ado....

Kala Vale and the Thousand Lakes

The village of Kala Vale is located in a region known as the Thousand Lakes, where waterfalls, rivers, ponds, and freshwater lakes both great and small are found among the high hills and mountains. Everywhere there is the sound of water, running and falling, from spring to autumn. Even in the depths of winter, water runs beneath the ice. A few warm days can lead to a sudden thaw, and those traversing the straight path across previously-frozen ice can find themselves immersed in frigid waters without warning.

Deep magic runs with the waters of this land. Runestones give hints of lost spells, or mark the focal points of arcane powers. Here music has power, and many of the region's legendary figures sang and chanted to shape their adventures as they would.

Many are the mysteries of this land. A few of them are described below.

Mårtenson's Ring of the Eagle's Shape

This curiously carved ring is made of finnstone, a blue-green material with a slick texture not unlike that of soapstone. It has been carved with many strange runes and sigils from Elfland. Whoever wears the finnstone ring and knows the hidden song of Mårtenson may take a sea-eagle's form, for as long as he wills, but each time he does so, some portion of his soul remains in that form.

In sea-eagle's form, the PC has exceptional eyesight for spotting creatures when flying. He can fly at a rate of 60', and has an AC of 14. The character's gear and accouterments within 5' of his body transform with him; larger items must be dropped or carried. Magic items retain their effects unless they must be manipulated in some way, but armor loses its normal bonuses. A sea-eagle can make a claw attack for 1d3 damage, and, if diving from at least 50', has a critical range increased by 2 (i.e., a level 1 wizard would crit on 18-20, and a level 1 warrior on 17-20). The character can only cast spells which do not require a human voice or somatic component.

Each transformation to sea-eagle's form requires a DC 10 Will save. On a failure, the character takes 1 point of permanent Personality damage and must roll 1d5 on the table below. Rolling the same result multiple times has no additional effect, but each time the character gains a new result he is reduced by -1d on the Dice Chain when making further Will saves due to transformation.

1d5Effect
1The character refuses to eat any food other than fish.
2The character blinks far less often than normal.
3The character has a tendency to stare at others.
4The character's preening behavior reminds onlookers of a bird cleaning its feathers.
5The character has a marked preference for being outdoors under an open sky.

If the character's Personality falls below 3, he never transforms back to human or demi-human form. After 2d6 rounds, the character is lost forever to his new form. The finnstone ring falls to the ground as the character flies away to live the remainder of his life in the wild.

At the judge's discretion, the character's allies may undertake one or more adventures to restore the lost character's humanity. Such an undertaking is fully in the nature of DCC's Quest For It ethos, and would require, at a bare minimum, locating the lost character in sea-eagle form and destroying Mårtenson's Ring of the Eagle's Shape to release his soul. Indeed, some say that the great bard-wizard Mårtenson of the Keys was lost to his ring, and still haunts the world in avian form.

The Drowned Maid

The ghost of a fair young maiden wanders the shores of Tomi Lake, north of Kala Vale. This unfortunate maid slipped into the cold gloomy depths through a crack in the ice one black winter day. She appears now fair but cold, with skin that is bluish-white. Seldom does she appear as a wraith, and often she is mistaken for a living maiden, solid to the eye if not to the touch.

The Drowned Maid seeks forever her lost lover, although she can no longer remember his face. It is said, in folklore, that she was drowned on her way to a tryst with the youth. Some say he sought for her high and low through the Land of the Thousand Lakes. Others say that he was with another, and that the Drowned Maid was a suicide.

This spirit is drawn only to those young men with exceptional good looks, or who have a Personality of 13+. She seeks only to draw them to her, but her touch causes 1d12 cold damage each round. Only when her one-time lover, reborn into a new body, willingly comes into her clasp and speaks her name can the Drowned Maid be laid to rest.

Somewhere amid the Thousand Lakes, an ornate anchor of black iron rises up from the water and rests on land. Its chain leads below the surface to the lost ship of Holopainen Ironhand, a reaver of great renown, whose heavy metal axe of meteoric iron, Esa, remains the subject of many legends in the Land of the Thousand Lakes.

Holopainen's ship, the Darkland Queen, is said to be carrying many precious things ravaged from the gorefest of the Chaosbreed in lands to the east. Should the ship ever be recovered, who knows what treasures weigh it down?

According to legend, the winged witch Louhi brought Holopainen low. His ravagers, the Chaosbreed, drowned in the waters of a many-leveled lake, amid waterfalls and ringed with hills. At least one artifact was lost with the ship: The Sampo, which takes many forms, and which brings good fortune to whomever can keep it.

The Blessed

Perhaps the Sampo brought fortune to the Chaosbreed even as they flailed beneath the waters of that unknown lake. Perhaps the malice of Louhi transformed the warriors of Holopainen. Or perhaps some other story is true, but the waters where the Darkland Queen was lost are now inhabited by creatures which call themselves the Blessed.

The Blessed are amorphous things with dark leather skin, capable of growing any number of limbs, either jointed or tentacular. Most of the Blessed are man-sized, hinting at a perhaps-human origin. Others have grown to a colossal size. All hate human life - perhaps because they were once human, or perhaps because the harpy-witch Louhi nursed dark emotions within them.

The following represents a typical member of the Blessed. Larger ones have far more impressive statistics.

The Finnish Connection: As a side note, The Land of a Thousand Lakes is Finland, and this album takes the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, as its inspiration. Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band. I have a family connection to the Finns who settled the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan. I hope, therefore, that I have done at least a halfway descent job at threading the album cover, the lyrics, and strands from the Kalevala into gameable material.

Thursday, 28 December 2017

Doomsayer has left a few album cover requests, but before I get to those, here is something a little easier to close the year with.

It is well known that the Valkyries, beautiful warrior women riding winged horses, come to bring the worthy fallen warriors to Valhalla (all shiny and chrome). For those who worship Whaaar! across the wasted landscape of Umerica, a different fate awaits the warrior without heart, who flees battle, or who dishonors himself or honorable adversaries with cowardly attacks or unwarranted mercy.

Doomriders are sent by Whaaar! to slay those who turn their backs to their foes, or otherwise dishonor the Umerican god of conflict. Certainly not every cowardly act results in one or more doomriders being dispatched, but equally certainly, any such act may result in the same. The chance for doomriders to appear to 0-level characters and lowly (unnamed) NPCs remains at the judge's discretion. Otherwise, when a character dedicated to Whaaar! acts against his tenants (see The Umerican Survival Guide for details) on the battlefield, roll 1d30. If the result is equal to or less than the character's level, at least one doomrider appears. For every 2 points below the character's level, an additional doomrider is dispatched.

If the character can defeat these doomriders in an honorable way (according to the tenants of Whaaar!) the god will be pleased. If the character is slain instead, the god will be pleased. An additional doomrider will be dispatched to confront any other being who interferes with the will of Whaaar!

When one or more doomriders appear, the sky turns black and rolls with thunder. Doomriders are wreathed in green flames that do an automatic 1d3 damage to anyone striking them with a melee weapon. These flames also add damage to their claw attacks (already calculated into their statblocks). A doomrider can harness lightning, making a ranged attack with a lightning bolt once every three rounds. This attack has "exploding damage" - every time a natural "6" is rolled, add another d6 to the damage. If this die also comes up "6", another d6 is added. And so on.

If either a doomrider or its steed is slain, its counterpart continues attacking. When slain, either will simply fade from existence, to be reborn in the feasthalls or stables of Whaaar! If both doomrider and steed survive combat, they take their targets bodily to the Hell designated by their god. Otherwise, they simply fade away. It is considered a great honor to be selected as a doomrider after a glorious death, and a doomrider may pause to speak to one-time companions before departing.

Note: If not using The Umerican Survival Guide, increase the steed AC by 2 and ignore Armor Die. Although I tied the write-up to the Umerican deity, Whaaar!, feel free to replace with any other god of war appropriate to your campaign. Remember that the alignment of both doomriders and their steeds should match that of the god....and not all war gods need be Chaotic!

Sunday, 24 December 2017

An album cover like Municipal Waste's The Fatal Feast: Waste in Space screams Mutant Crawl Classics. Or, at least, it screams Mutant Crawl Classics until there is a Stellar Crawl Classics to go with. This write-up could also easily be used with Crawling Under a Broken Moon or The Umerican Survival Guide.

The official music video takes place on Waste Station 3M-TA3, lost in space 17 years. Needless to say, the scenario could work in a sealed facility on the post-Apocalyptic world just as easily. Or you could have your PCs transferred somehow to an orbital facility.

Without further ado....The Fatal Feast

Hazardous waste laws are written for a reason. A breach in protocol at Waste Station 3M-TA3 allowed the unintended release of Virus TFRW-2012-SA05, nicknamed "The Fatal Feast".

There are three stages to this virus's infection cycle, and the PCs may encounter it in whatever stage the judge desires. It is entirely possible that the three stages are going on in different parts of the same complex.

Stage One: Initial Infection

Fort DC 15 resists infection. Those infected gain a +4 bonus to all Strength-related checks (including melee attack and damage rolls). They suffer an irresistible desire to consume non-infected living creatures. At the judge's discretion, a desire to use spinal columns to play air guitar, or use a length of intestines as a microphone, may also develop.

Infection is caused by direct contact with the virus, or by contact with an infected creature. Stage One typically lasts for 1d5 days.

Stage Two: Liquification of Living Flesh

Fort DC 20 negates. Uninfected living flesh which fails the Fort save is turned to blood at an astounding rate. Exposed beings who fail the save take 1d5 points of permanent ability damage to each ability score (except Luck) each round. Beings infected at Stage One are immune.

The virus is airborne at this time, and exposure to atmosphere where the virus is active can cause infection. This stage lasts for 1d24 years. (It lasted at least 17 years on Waste Station 3M-TA3.)

Stage Three: Un-death

At Stage Three, creatures infected become nonmagical un-dead. Although they retain an echo of their former personalities, and are able to work cooperatively, they are tools used by the virus to consume and spread. Contact with these un-dead can transmit Stage One of the virus, and these un-dead do not continue to attack those who become infected. Even the remains of these un-dead, once destroyed, can transmit the virus unless they are burned. Improper disposal of such remains led to the infestation on Waste Station 3M-TA3.

This stage is permanent. Any creature with a Stage One infection must succeed in a DC 10 Fort save each day once Stage Two commences, or succumb to Stage Three. At Stage Three, the infected characters are dead. Even if the disease is somehow cured, they remain dead.

In Mutant Crawl Classics, fatal feast un-dead have no alignment. Physical mutations may remain still be manifested by the un-dead creatures, but mental mutations are lost. Note that plantients (and other non-animal beings) are immune to Virus TFRW-2012-SA05 in all of its stages, and are not targeted by the infected, unless required for self-preservation.

NOTE

This is a nasty, nasty surprise to spring on characters, no matter what stage is active when it is encountered.

If the means to avoid and/or cure the virus are present, it might make a kick-ass funnel adventure, though. In this case, encountering the remains of a fatal feast un-dead after being sealed into the adventure location can kick off the action, with players retaining control of their infected PCs as well as their non-infected PCs. PVP combat abounds!

A sealed area releases the Stage Two infection. Hope your surviving PCs have been inoculated by this point. Then on to confront the un-dead masters in order to escape the adventure location. Finally, for the big finale, blow it all up so that the virus cannot escape!

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